Avs Game 15 Grades - Complete Effort

The Avs had arguably their most complete effort of the season on Tuesday evening, and came away with a very convincing 4-0 win over the Philadelphia Flyers.

How did each player perform?  Let’s find out…

Tyson Barrie (B) – Barrie had a solid game at both ends of the ice.  When he’s moving his feet, he makes breaking the puck out look really easy.  He was up in the rush and not hurting the team defensively tonight.

Francois Beauchemin (C-) – I understand the Avs got a shutout, but I didn’t like Beauchemin’s game tonight.  I really worry the Avs are wearing him out already.  He shouldn’t be playing 26 minutes a night, but is because of the lack of depth on defense.  There were too many turnovers tonight from him, and too often he would just shoot the puck around the boards instead of looking for a pass.

Reto Berra (A) – I don’t know if we can say it’s a goalie controversy right now, but Berra has earned his games, that’s for sure.  He was calm and in control in the net tonight, and the Avs did a good job of letting him see the puck.

Blake Comeau (C+) – He played a lot, but I still want to see him holding onto the puck less and shooting it more.  There was a scare in the second period when Radko Gudas gave him a hip check when he didn’t have the puck, but Comeau didn’t appear to miss a shift.

Matt Duchene (A) – I don’t believe the rumors that he’s on the trade block, but he’s absolutely out of his slump, with 5 goals in his last 4 games.  It seems like a move to the wing has helped simplify his game a bit, and both of his goals were just from him going to the net for rebounds.  The top line looked dominant.

Dennis Everberg (B-) – I thought he was rather pedestrian in the first period, but in the second period he was very noticeable, skating with the puck and putting it on net, including almost putting home his own rebound on a wrap around.  He had a nice shot block on the only PK of the game.

Brandon Gormley (B-) – Gormley showed more poise with the puck tonight than he has in his last few games, which may have to do with him being more comfortable on the ice.  He was credited with 4 hits, although he’s not a physical player.  The Avs controlled 62% of the shot attempts with him out there, which was the best of all the Avs defensemen.

Mikhail Grigorenko (C+) – It was a rather pedestrian game from Grigorenko, as he didn’t do much to stand out, other than a nice rush in the first period around a defender.  I’d like to see him take it to the net more rather than getting rid of the puck quickly, but that may come when he gets more comfortable.  He’s shown to be a better defensive player than people might have expected.

Nick Holden (B+) – Holden made a fantastic play to hold the puck in on the third goal for the Avs, as Barrie gave him a pass that hadn’t hit the ice yet and he knocked it down out of mid-air.  I was very happy with his game tonight, and he’s quietly racking up some assists.

Jarome Iginla (B-) – Iginla has scored a lot of goals in his career, but I’m not sure he’s scored on a weaker shot in his career than his goal tonight.  He fanned on the shot but it somehow bounced through the Philadelphia goaltender.  That’s why you always put it on net and see what happens.  Other than that, nothing about his game stood out.

Erik Johnson (B) – EJ’s possession numbers were not good tonight, but I still liked his game, as he was moving his feet more in the defensive zone and moving the puck to the forwards.

Gabriel Landeskog (A-) – He still doesn’t look 100%, but he was the best possession player on the ice tonight at 70% and put 4 shots on goal himself.  He even got into a few scrums tonight.

Nathan MacKinnon (A) – At this point, it’s expected that MacKinnon has a great game, and tonight, he did just that.  His speed and creativity played a role in both of Duchene’s goals.  The added muscle, combined with his incredible speed, has made him a handful for defenders to contain this year.  All three of the players on the top line, predictably, led the Avs in terms of possession numbers.

Andreas Martinsen (B) – A really solid debut for the big Norwegian winger.  He was physical and had a fantastic power move to the net in the first period that probably put a smile on Roy’s face.  His first step, as far as his skating goes, is not very good, but he can skate once he gets going he moves pretty well for his size.

Cody McLeod (B) – McLeod has no business being on the power play, but he got a goal tonight and that means he’ll probably be there for a while.  Other than that, I thought he had a solid game.

Jack Skille (B) – Skille had a couple of really nice speed rushes, which we’re getting used to seeing.  He has a really fantastic release on his shot and displayed it a few times tonight.

Carl Soderberg (B+) – The big Swede is getting more comfortable on the team, and it’s noticeable.  He has a tendency to be way too pass happy, but he looks much better out there.  He could have scored a really nice goal after deking a Philadelphia defender, but lost the puck at the last second.  A few more assists for him this evening to add to his season total.

Ben Street (B-) – Street really has not done much to stand out, but tonight he didn’t hurt his team like he has a few times this year.  He was good in the faceoff circle, and made some nice plays offensively.  When Mitchell returns, Street will head back to being the top center for San Antonio.

Brad Stuart (C) – He is what he is at this point in his career, and he had a few shifts in the second where he got himself in trouble with the puck, but he didn’t hurt the team tonight.  He needs to leave the puck moving on that pairing to Gormley.  He’s a better option in the lineup than Guenin if Zadorov is going to be in the AHL.

The Avs continue their long road trip as they head to Boston on Thursday to take on the Bruins.  The game starts at 5 PM MST.